One Horrifying Moment: How the Krampus Jack-In-The-Box Scarred Me For Life (VIDEO SCRIPT)

So I don’t know if its considered cheating because it involves a different Holiday than one would typically associate this event with. But considering I can’t think of anything else that has impacted me along these lines, I think it’s time to get into the Christmas Spirit -- or, the lack thereof -- with my One Horrifying Moment...

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Krampus is a B-movie horror flick produced by Legendary Pictures and directed by Michael Dougherty; the same production company and director behind the 2007 modern Halloween classic, Trick R Treat.

It tells the story of Max Engel, who upon seeing how jaded his extended family has become regarding the holidays and how it bled over to his own, loses his Christmas spirit.

He unknowingly summons the European demon Krampus 3 days before Christmas, who cuts off their neighborhood from the outside world with a heavy snowstorm in order to make it easier for him and his minions to hunt.

So now Max and his family have to survive Krampus until Christmas Day in order to keep from being Sam Raimi’d (Drag Me To Hell poster).

Spoiler Alert: They all get Sam Raimi’d

Despite this being the first Christmas Horror film to be made since the remake of the slasher film Black Christmas, which I have not seen, what lured me into seeing this film IN THEATERS was a mix of 2 things

One: The possibility of the movie addressing the extent of commercialism the holiday had become over the course of the years in the narrative’s subtext

And Two: The sudden rise of popularity that brought the character somewhat mainstream in the early 2010’s

No, seriously; I had no idea there was a character in any form of mythology named Krampus until he showed up in an American Dad holiday special, which premiered 2 years before the movie came out

And my opinion of the movie hasn’t really changed from when I first reviewed it back during the first few months of my channel’s existence.

Its direction and cinematography reminds me a lot of the first Gremlins movie, especially considering that Krampus’s toy minions are visually the main cause for most of the mayhem we see on screen. It’s good for what it is once you realize that its main goal is to provide a horror tale for a holiday usually associated with peace on Earth and good will toward men.

But outside of my knowledge of the type of movie this is and how it doesn’t really address any of the themes with its narrative that I was hoping it would upon me seeing it, there’s a reason why I don’t regularly watch this movie, let alone physically own it. And it all has to do with what I personally consider to be one horrifying moment.

One of Krampus’s minions in this movie is called Der Klown; a Jack-In-The-Box monster. During the beginning of the Engel family’s holiday of horror, Max’s sister Beth is attacked by this monster when she ventures outside the “safety” of their house to check on her boyfriend, only to be stalked by Krampus on her way there.

The next time we see Der Klown is on Christmas Eve when Krampus and his minions go all out on their attack against the Engels, when they investigate the attic, and catch the Jack-In-The-Box in the midst of swallowing one of Max’s cousins whole.

Watching this scene play out in the movie theater left me absolutely unsettled for reasons I was completely unaware of at the time.

Which was strange for me. Because considering my appreciation of Slasher horror and psychological thrillers, you’d figure someone like me wouldn’t get thrown off guard upon seeing a bratty little kid get swallowed alive by a Jack-In-The-Box monster.

Then, years later, it happened again; this time in the midst of my first watch of one of my favorite modern anime, Devilman Crybaby.

When in the midst of the worldwide demonic panic arc of the story, Taro Makimura -- newly possessed himself -- fully gives in to the demon inside him, and his father walks in on Taro in mid-consumption of his mother.

Despite me understanding the gravity of the scene and feeling for all three of these characters simultaneously, my mind and body couldn’t help but react to that same unsettled feeling of dread and panic that I first came across when I watched that Krampus scene for the first time.

It wasn’t until later in my development that I came to the realization that this one scene in Krampus made me aware of a mild phobia I had.

It’s called Phagophobia, which is a fear of swallowing, eating, or being eaten. In my case, it’s triggered when I see individuals swallowed whole, and/or swallowed alive

I have to specify that it is in fact mild, because frankly, I have seen multiple forms of media where my Phagophobia isn’t triggered, even before I saw Krampus.

Those include Attack on Titan, the Anaconda and Jurassic Park-slash-World movies. Even when it’s comedically utilized like in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

The only way I can explain it is that it's the buildup. It’s the search for the individual in question. It’s roaming around the dark attic with nothing but a flashlight because you heard a noise with the expectation that something’s about to go wrong

And then it’s the act of seeing it happen; the creature paying you no mind until you get its attention. And sometimes depending on the creature, it continues. Even when you have it.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected a movie like Krampus to reveal this about myself.

But I’d be lying if I said that because of it, the movie didn’t contain within it One Horrifying Moment...